Kinidinnin Stéphane Konaté Sornan (born 23 August 1980) is an Ivorian retired basketball player. He played the majority of his career for the ABC Fighters and for the Ivory Coast national team.[1][2] He is nicknamed "El Jefe" ("The Chef").[3]
Konaté has represented the Ivory Coast national team in several AfroBasket tournaments, and helped the Elephants finish as runners-ups in 2009 and 2021.
Early life
Konaté was born in Bouaké, a city in the north of Ivory Coast, and started out playing football.[4]
Professional career
Konaté started his professional career with Africa Sports in 2002, while still attending high school. He played with the team for three seasons. In 2005, he signed with Abidjan Basket Club (abbreviated as ABC).
In the 2011–12 season, Konaté signed with Spanish side Palencia in the LEB Gold.[5] He averaged 2.6 points in five games, playing 10.4 minutes per game.[6]
In 2014, he returned to ABC, later re-named ABC Fighters.
In October 2021, Konaté was on the roster of Malian club AS Police.[7][8] He had previously received offers from AS Police, but administrative issues prevented making the move.[9] Konaté helped ABC qualify for the 2023 season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and played a decisive role in the team's run to the league quarter-finals.
In the fall of 2023, Konaté played in another Road to BAL tournament with ABC. After failing to qualify for the semi-finals, he announced his retirement from basketball at age 43. He cited: ""I am satisfied with the achievements I made playing the game and it gladdens me that people refer to me as an African legend."[10]
